What a weekend! Let me first squeeze it into a haiku:
Drive, tunes, ocean pools,
Bourbon, Elvis, hoops, stars, hearts,
Redwoods, ferns, beach, sun!
And now I can unpack it and add pictures:
Drive and tunes: gorgeous drive to the coast with a solid playlist courtesy of David D. We made a delightful stop at the Straw House Cafe, I highly recommend it if you are ever driving 299 to the coast.
Ocean pools: our first stop on the coast was Patrick’s Point State Park. We strolled through a forest of giant sitka spruce before descending to the rocky tide pools.
All the valentine searching left us famished. Our hunt for food ended in the best veggie burger I have ever had; it was so good, I took a picture:
Bourbon, Elvis, hoops, stars, hearts: our evening activity was going to have it all!
Please note, it was actually Psychedelvis – but that was too many syllables for my haiku.
I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. Here are some pictures to prove it:
I do not have a picture of the hoops, but among the circus performers were some serious hula-hoopers.
The stars reference was also not photo-documented, so you will have to trust me on it. We went to the beach after the show, laid on the sand, and experienced the awe. I even saw a shooting star!
Redwoods: you can probably guess this one; here are the tree pictures:
Ferns: after the super trees, we went to see Fern Canyon. As its name implies, it is a canyon full of ferns. It is also famously known for being one of the Jurassic Park filming locations.
Beach and sun: out of the canyon and into the sunlight. I am told that we had atypical north coast weather, and though I am concerned for the redwoods, which depend on the cool, moist air, I thoroughly enjoyed the sun on my face.
Oh, and we also saw elk, on the beach!
I will close by restating my initial question:
California, will you be my valentine?
I am going to take that as a “yes.”